Lighting construction



LIGHTING CONSTRUCTION May 2, 1939. G F. NIEMANN v 2,156,768

LIGHTING CONSTRUCTION 4 Filed Feb. 24, 1936 BShQSS-Sheet 2 Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES LIGHTING CONSTRUCTION George F. Niemann, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Benjamin Electric Mfg. Company, Chicago,

Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 24, 1936, Serial No. 65,347

2 Claims.

My invention relates to a lighting construction. More speciiically, it relates to a fixture hanger of the type shown in the United States Letters Patent No. 2,024,331, issued December 17, 1935 to Reuben B. Benjamin, which discloses a pivotally mounted bracket, to which a lighting xture may be detachably secured, having a pull member passing over a pulley in the bracket for drawing the xture into proper relation with respect to the bracket.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide improved means for guiding the flexible member in the bracket having provisions whereby this path may be varied to correspond to diierent pivotal adjustments of the bracket.

A further object is to provide improved means for drawing the plug on the iixture into snug engagement with the socket on the bracket.

A further object of my invention is to provide a bracket construction which will be inexpensive to manufacture.

Further objects and advantages ofthe invention will appear from the description and claims.

In the drawings, in which my invention is illustrated,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view showing the pivoted bracket and a portion of the lighting fixture secured therein;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View showing the xture, bracket-supporting pole and tightening lever; and

Fig. 3 is a detail View showing the tightening lever.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the construction shown comprises a supporting pole I for supporting a lighting iixture at a substantial height, a mounting bracket 2 secured to the upper end of this pole, a fixture supporting bracket 3 pivotally secured to this mounting bracket, having a downwardly-opening plugreceiving socket 4, electrical contacts 5 for engagement with contacts 6 on the fixture l, a pulley 8 mounted on the bracket above the socket, the lighting fixture 'I comprising a lamp socket 9 45 for the lamp I Il, a reflector Ita, and a plug I I for engaging said socket 4, a flexible pull member I2, such as a chain secured to the plug and extending over the pulley 8 for drawing the plug into the socket, and guide means carried by the bracket for determining the path of travel of the chain with respect to the bracket having provisions whereby said path may be varied to correspond to different pivotal adjustments of the bracket.

The guide means shown comprise a pulley I4 and mounting means for the pulley adjustable in slots I5 in the bracket toward and away from the axis I6 of the bracket. This enables an adjustment to be made by means of which any one of three different paths of travel of the chain through the bracket may be obtained.

If the bracket 3 is adjusted to hold the reflector IIla at or near its lowest position, in which the chain guide I'l on the fixture Will be in the posi* tion indicated in dotted lines at C in Fig. 1, the path of the chain will be as indicated at A, the chain passing over the pulley I4 between the pulley and the pivotal mounting oi the bracket, the pulley I3 being set` as close to the pivotal mounting I6 as the slots will permit. This tends to hold the chain I2 in alignment with, the chain guide Il and prevents interference between the chain I2 and the chain guide I'I on the reflector when the plug II is being pulled to its final seating position in the socketd, enabling the plug II to align itself axially with respect to socket 4 without any substantial side pressure due to the pull on the chain.

In cases where it is desired that the reflector should be in its extreme raised position, in which the chain guide II on the reflector will be in the position indicated in dotted lines at D in Fig. 1, the path of the chain will be as indicated at B, in which the pulley mounting is set as far away from the pivotal mounting IE of the bracket as the slots I5 will permit and the chain passes between the pulley I4 and the adjacent edge 'I8 of the chain housing of the bracket 3. This prevents interference between the chain guide strap II on the reflector and the chain itself when the plug is being pulled to its final seating position in the socket.

In cases where it is desirable that the reflectorcarrying bracket 3 should be in its mid-position, the path of the chain is as indicated at E in Fig. l, the pulley being set as far as possible from the axis of the bracket and the chain passing between the pulley and the axis of the bracket. This position of chain travel also prevents nterference between the chain and the guide strap II when the plug is being pulled to its final seating position, enabling the plug I'I to align itself axially with respect to the socket 4.

In order to draw the plug snugly to its Seat in the socket, a lever I9 is provided pivotally mounted on the bracket 2li adjustably secured adjacent the lower end of the supporting pole I inconvenient position for operation. This lever has a laterally extending hook 2| over which a link of the chain may be passed, thus providing in effect a pivotal connection between the lever and chain, which pivotal connection is moved past the dead center position when the lever is moved from the dotted-line to the full-line position shown in Fig. 2. When the lever has been moved to the full-line position, it may be secured against accidental displacement by means of a padlock 22 or the like, the hasp portion of which may be passed through registering openings in the mounting bracket and lever. By a suitable selection of the link with which the lever is connected and a suitable adjustment of the lever carrying bracket up or down on the pole, the desired amount of tension may be placed `on the spring 23 (Fig. 1) which forces the plug II into the socket 4. The vertical adjustment of the levercarrying bracket on the pole I is effected by the provision of slots 24 in the bracket 20 through which pass cap screws 25 which are threaded into the supporting post I. The provision of the padlock prevents accidental or unauthorized release of the fixture from the bracket.

In order to facilitate the manufacture of the bracket, it is made in two parts, one part 26 of which forms a housing for the chain I2 and pulleys 8 and I4 and the other part 21 of which provides the socket 4 for the plug I I and a skirt portion 28 for extending over the hood 29 of the reflector.

The spring connection between the chain I2 and plug Il is substantially as disclosed in the aforesaid Benjamin patent and comprises the spring 23 seated in a central chamber in the plug and a pull rod 30 passing through this spring and connected to the chain at 3|. The upper end of the spring seats against a shoulder 32 in the plug, and the lower end seats against a washer 33 secured to the pull rod 30. Current is supplied to the contacts asin the aforesaid Benjamin patent by means of flexible cables 34 leading from the conductors which extend up through the pole I to the contacts carried by the bracket.

The bracket 3 may be held in the desired position of pivotal adjustment by means of a bolt 35 passing through an opening in the bracket 3 and through slots 36 in the mounting bracket 2. The socket portion 21 of the bracket is secured to the housing portion by means of rivets 31 passing through openings in the socket portion 21 and the housing portion 26. This two-part construction of the bracket lessens the cost of the molding operation and ofthe machining operations.

In use, in lowering the fixture, a lowering rope (not shown) is snapped onto the lower end of the chain I2, the padlock 22 is unlocked, the lever I9 is raised to the dotted-line position shown in Fig. 2, and the chain I2 can then be released from the lever. The fixture is then lowered by paying out on the rope attached to the chain I2 until the fixture is lowered to a position in which it is accessible for cleaning and removal, and replacement of parts.

In order to support the fixture in its lowered position, a safety stop is provided which holds the fixture at the right height above the ground for easy cleaning and servicing. This safety stop may be in the form of a stop link 38 in the chain I2, which is connected at the time of installation and determines the point to which the fixture can be lowered by engagement with the lower edges of the bracket.

When the fixture has been serviced, it is raised to its position at 'the top of the pole simply by pulling down on the rope until the chain I2 is drawn down far enough to be again connected with the lever I9. The final seating movement of the plug in the socket is then effected by moving the lever I9 from the dotted to the full line position shown in Fig. 2, and locking it in this position. The lowering rope may then be unsnapped, leaving the fixture in proper operative position.

Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is desired, therefore, that the invention be limited only by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A lighting construction comprising a support, a bracket pivotally secured to said support to swing about a substantially horizontal axis, said bracket being provided with a downwardlyopening plug-receiving socket having electrical contacts, and a pulley mounted on said bracket above said socket, a lighting xture having contacts for engagement with said first contacts and comprising a lamp socket, a reflector, and a plug for engaging said socket, a exible pull member secured to said plug and extending over said pulley and thence downwardly between said xture and said horizontal axis for drawing the plug into the socket, and guide means for said flexible pull member carried by said bracket below said pulley comprising a pulley mounted on said bracket and having space on each Vside thereof adjacent its periphery whereby the flexible pull member may be placed on either side of said pulley.

2. A lighting construction comprising a support, a bracket pivotally secured to said support to swing about a substantially horizontal axis, said bracket being provided with a downwardlyopening plug-receiving socket having electrical contacts, and a pulley mounted on said bracket above said socket, a lighting fixture having contacts for engagement with said rst contacts and comprising a lamp socket, a reflector, and a plug for engaging said socket, a flexible pull member secured to said plug and extending over said pulley and thence downwardly between said fixture and said horizontal axis for drawing the plug into the socket, and guide means for said flexible pull member carried by said bracket below said pulley comprising a pulley mounted on said bracket and having space on each side thereof adjacent its periphery whereby the iiexible pull member may be placed on either side of said pulley, said pulley being mounted for adjustment toward and from said horizontal axis.

GEORGE F. NLEMANN. 

